Myasthenia gravis

1. Signs and Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis By Kim Anderson

2. The muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis is typically at its worst after periods of physical activity and gets better following rest. • However, the muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expressions, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often affected, making certain everyday activities challenging. • The onset of myasthenia gravis can be sudden in some people, and the degree of muscle weakness varies from person to person. • The condition can be challenging to diagnose because its symptoms mirror those of several other conditions, including generalized fatigue, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and botulism. • Although symptoms vary slightly from one person to the next, most people with myasthenia gravis will experience at least some of the following:

3. Weakness of the arms, hands, fingers, legs, and neck • Weakness of the eye muscles (a condition called ocular myasthenia) • Drooping of one or both eyelids (a condition called ptosis) • Blurred or double vision (a condition called diplopia) • Alterations in facial expressions • Problems swallowing • Shortness of breath • Difficulty speaking (a condition called dysarthria)

4. In general, the following have been shown to worsen the symptoms of myasthenia gravis: • Fatigue • Illness • Stress • Extreme heat • Medication such as beta-blockers, quinidine gluconate, quinidine sulfate, quinine, phenytoin, some anesthetics, and some antibiotics • Even though some types of medication have been shown to worsen the symptoms of myasthenia gravis, they may still be used if it’s more important to treat another underlying health condition, such as an infection or high blood pressure. • If drug treatment for another condition is worsening your myasthenia gravis, ask your doctor if there are other options.

5. Myasthenic Crisis • When the muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis worsens, affecting the muscles in your chest and diaphragm and reducing your ability to breathe, it’s called a myasthenic crisis. • A myasthenic crisis can be triggered by an infection, stress, surgery, or an adverse reaction to a medication, although in many cases there’s no obvious cause. • Respiratory failure caused by myasthenia gravis requires emergency medical care, often including the use of a mechanical ventilator to help you breathe while other therapies are administered to reverse the crisis. (4)

6. A myasthenic crisis is most commonly treated either with a blood product called intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), which provides antibodies in which the person is deficient, or plasma exchange (plasmapheresis, or PLEX), which removes the autoantibodies that attack the body’s own cells. (5) • Up to one in five people with myasthenia gravis experiences at least one myasthenic crisis after they’ve been diagnosed. If you’re feeling short of breath, particularly if you’re also having trouble speaking, coughing, chewing, swallowing, or holding your head up, seek medical help immediately. (6) • Learn More About Signs and Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis

7. For more information go to • https://www.facebook.com/Myasthenia-Gravis-information-from-sault-ste-marie-1826880070950935/?ref=pages_you_manage